Q. Congratulations, Rafa. What this victory means for you?
RAFAEL NADAL: Thank you very much. Sure, one of the most important of my career, no? Win in Rome is a big title. I have right now 15 Masters Series in my career, so that's a lot, and I'm very happy for that.
Sure win here in Rome is always unbelievable. It's a very good tournament, and very happy for the victory.

Q. How did you feel during the match? You started very well and then it became more difficult.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes, I started well, no? I have 40 15 for him the first game. Later I won the game. It was important the first break. But later was really tough to return. The ball is having big bounce. And, well, when he put the first serve in it was really tough. I didn't have chances to have the second break only in the 5 3. 5 3 I had another one set point, important set point. I hit one backhand to put the winner, and I didn't play good backhand there, no?
But later I think I have a little bit unlucky with the 5 4. I played two good points and I had two mistakes with the forehand down the line. But, yeah, it was well played, because I played aggressive, no? In the 6 5, something I played, yeah, a little bit worse in the 6 5, no? But I had my chance. I have I think 30 Love, so, yeah, tough moments. That was the toughest moments of the match. First point in the tiebreak was for him, but important thing for me was I was anyway having two times the serve to win the set. I lost both times, but I was 100% mentally for the tiebreak, so that's important. Really important.

Q. You mentioned that you've now won 15 Masters Series titles. Are you interested in breaking records for the most Masters titles?
RAFAEL NADAL: I would love have more than yeah, I would love have more than 17, no? Right now I have 15. I'm very happy for that. I'm gonna try my best in the next tournaments. Important thing for me right now I have 15. It's a lot. Sure, I would love to have more than 17, no?

Q. You get asked this after every tournament, but how are you feeling physically after three successive weeks and three successive tournaments and three successive wins?
RAFAEL NADAL: Really well, no? Yeah, I have one long match against Novak in Monte Carlo, but after that I never lost another set. So, yeah, I didn't play very long matches during this tournament. It was 7 6 today, but the other matches I think I have always 6 3 the maximum. So that's very good to play three weeks in a row. In Monte Carlo and Barcelona the same. I play 6 2, 6 2; 6 2, 6 0; 6 3, 6 2, and, well, the final 6 2, 7 5. But not very long set, so it's only today. So that's really important to play three weeks in a row.

Q. About the sets that you never lose. If you never lose a set, you lose only one set in three tournaments. In Roland Garros how can you expect to possibly lose three sets?
RAFAEL NADAL: Every tournament is completely different, no, so it doesn't come nothing before. So right now I'm focus on Madrid, you know. Yeah, Roland Garros is after two or three weeks, so, yeah, first Madrid. Later in Roland Garros we will see. Important thing is play well. If I am playing well, I gonna have a lot of chances to have good results in both tournaments. But you never know what can happen, no? Tennis is always like this.

Q. How much it have been important for you for Djokovic to know that you are the best on the clay, and then of course you are the best in the world. Do you think this is really important in this match? Of course now when it's possible that you meet the opponent that have a sort of be afraid because are the first?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think every match is different than you have to win on court. You never win off court. You never win the matches before the match. You win the matches playing, so that's what I feel, no?

Q. Did you think the impersonation of Djokovic of you was good? Did you like it?
RAFAEL NADAL: For me, doesn't matter, no? Yeah, well, if people ask, the normal thing is do, no? For me, doesn't matter. I think it was funny.

Q. Are you more surprised about yourself because you're able to do this, or are you surprised about your opponent because they don't beat you? They are not very, very strong? Are you surprised about something in this long streak you have?
RAFAEL NADAL: I didn't listen. Tell me. (In Spanish.) Ah, yes, I think when you start the clay season always is the same, no? Last few years you think it's impossible to repeat the same like last years. That's what I feel before I start. But right now I didn't. I didn't. Not already. Because remain win in Roland Garros to repeat the same. But anyway the result of Roland Garros or my clay season was really good, no? Because in the end, if I go to Roland Garros and I lose, I think it's not fair to say I didn't play very good clay season.
Anyway the result on Madrid and Roland Garros, the clay season is unbelievable. I'm very happy for everything. Sure it's a big surprise for me to win three titles in a row in three weeks. But, yeah, I never did in the past, so it's a good thing for me to know I can do. But, sure, I prefer have week off between Barcelona and Rome, no?

Q. Could you give us a feeling about Roger Federer's week here? Do you think he could be enough well prepared for Roland Garros?
RAFAEL NADAL: Madrid remains. I think you forget Madrid, no? He had good matches and he almost win yesterday. He has set and 2 0 and breakpoint for double break in the second, 3 1 in the third. So he has lost the chances to win and to win against a very good player like Novak. So, yeah, he's at the level. Tennis level is there. That's not will be a problem, sure.

Q. You played Djokovic in Monte Carlo and here. Where was more difficult, and was there any difference between the two matches? Were you more in danger in your head there?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, I was more in danger in Monte Carlo, because I had breakpoint in the first game of the set and I lose the set. But my feeling was I was playing a little bit better here than Monte Carlo. The court is more dangerous here than in Monte Carlo to play against him. You understand me?

Q. It's more difficult here?
RAFAEL NADAL: I feel.

Q. Why?
RAFAEL NADAL: Sometimes it's really hard to control the ball, no? The ball is flying a lot. Monte Carlo the ball stays a little bit more. If I'm playing well, I have more chances to have control of the point more times when I am returning, no? But, yeah, it's stupid to say this court is not good for me when I won four times. This court is perfect for me. I like a lot of the crazy bounce, but you have to be playing really well. If you are playing so so, it's more danger.

Q. Are you happy to have to play in Madrid now? Because it's another important tournament for you. Is it not too much in a row before the French Open?
RAFAEL NADAL: That's the calendar, no? I have to play. Sure playing in Spain is always special motivation. The only thing is playing in altitude. The last tournament of Roland Garros is completely different conditions than Madrid and Paris. Believe me, because I played there and I know. Gonna be a really difficult tournament, no? But yeah, maybe I would love don't have the tournament in altitude before Roland Garros. I prefer have, for example, another tournament with similar conditions than Madrid before Monte Carlo, not before Roland Garros. But that's the calendar, and I gonna try my best there to have a good result.

Q. How will you spend the next two or three days? Will you not pick up a racquet?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Imitating golf swing.)
Q. Golf?
RAFAEL NADAL: A little bit.

2008 champion Novak Djokovic was gracious in defeat, acknowledging that when it comes to the crunch, Rafael Nadal can always find that little bit extra.

“Obviously it's his patience in certain points,” said the Serb after the match. “When I needed to stay a little bit more patient and just play the right shots, I made some unforced errors – in the tie-break on the second and third point. It’s happened a couple of times already on this surface that I'm close, and in the deciding moments he just overcomes the pressure better than me. That's why he's the best in the world at the moment.”

“Maybe in Monte Carlo (when Nadal again defeated Djokovic on clay in the final), it was closer. Still, the ball was bouncing really high here today, really high, probably because I was playing against the player who produces a lot of spin from both sides. It made my shots difficult, especially from the backhand side. He plays forehand with a lot of spin and tries to put the point out of position so he can open up the court for the next shot,” said Djokovic of the world No1. “He does it really successfully, but I didn't move in that shot as well as I needed to, and then a couple of unforced errors in the first and second set resulted in a loss. As the match started I thought, I'm going to really work hard to get my service games, because he made me work already the first game. He didn't make a lot of service errors. He had a quite high percentage of the first serves in, and that wasn't case in Monte Carlo, so I could have put more pressure on him. He was serving quite well and moving always great, like always. You always have to play something extra against Nadal to win, especially on this surface where he feels most comfortable.”

“I've been playing really well in the last three Masters Series events and I'm really happy with the shape I'm in at this moment,” concluded the defeated former champion who remained in an upbeat mood. “I will try to stay physically fit because that's what I'm going to need in the upcoming two months until Wimbledon is over. Confidence is really important in this sport, in any sport, and right now I have confidence.”

It's the third clay-court title in three weeks for the top-ranked Spaniard, following victories at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.

"For sure it's one of the biggest wins of my career," Nadal said. "It's always incredible to win in Rome."

He extended his winning streak on clay to 30 matches, stretching back to an opening-round loss to Juan Carlos Ferrero in Rome last year.

By failing to defend his title, Djokovic will lose the No. 3 ranking to Andy Murray on May 11, when last year's points drop out. The 21-year-old Serb has been No. 3 since August 2007.

"I had my chances," said Djokovic, who rallied to beat Roger Federer in the semifinals. "He overcomes the pressure better than me, that's why he's the best in the world. But overall, I'm pretty happy with the week."

Nadal broke an Open Era tie with Thomas Muster, who won Rome titles in 1990, 1995 and 1996. Jaroslav Drobny and Martin Mulligan also each won three titles before the Open Era.

Chris Evert holds the women's record at the Foro Italico with five titles.

Rome is a key warmup for the French Open, which begins in three weeks with Nadal the four-time defending champion.
Nadal broke serve in the opening game of the match, but Djokovic had his chances in the first set before losing control for good in the tiebreaker, sending a weak backhand drop-shot attempt into the net on Nadal's third set point.

"That was one of the toughest moments of the match," Nadal said. "The first point of the tiebreak was for him and I had two chances to serve for the first set and lost both times. But I played the tiebreak well and that was the most important thing."

Djokovic then double-faulted to hand Nadal a 4-2 lead in the second set.

The Serb said fast conditions made it tough for him to handle Nadal's heavy topspin.

"The ball was bouncing really, really high here today and that made my shots really difficult, especially from the backhand side," he said.

The match was a far cry from the Monte Carlo final two weeks ago, when Djokovic became the only player to take a set from Nadal on clay this year.

Djokovic led 23-19 in winners on Sunday, but committed 40 unforced errors to Nadal's 22, mostly with his backhand.

Nadal improved his Rome record to 22-1 and is a tour-best 38-3 this year, winning five of the eight tournaments he's entered.

It was his 15th Masters Series title, one more than Federer and two shy of Andre Agassi's record of 17.

rafito's mommy gave an interview about the rafa nadal fundacion mamasue posted this originally on vb.

Quote:

Ana Maria Parera: “I will try that the foundation follows the principles of Rafa Nadal”

The nobody best one than the one mother to start up a illusory project.

EMILIO P&#201;REZ DE ROZAS

--So that position becomes of the type of interview: what gesture more beautiful his, becoming the president of the Foundation Rafa Nadal, created by its son.
--Rafa has had much luck to be where it is, because, after all, it has been an enormous fortune. Yes, worked, very worked, but he considers a privileged person to have secured the profits that have obtained and the situation that lives. For that reason he decided to create a foundation to try to help people. And the who best one than its mother, somebody that knows its affection by the children and their desires, to put this in march.

--That preside over you it you are all a guarantee of which the things will become in the purest style Rafa Nadal; that is to say, under the personality that reflects number one of the world.
--We want that the foundation follows the principles, the values, of Rafa. He, by his race, its commitments, their dedication to tennis, cannot give long time now to him. What we tried in the foundation is to follow its principles. For example, our aid will concentrate, essentially, in the children, the childhood, the minors of 14 years, because Rafa has towards them the great sensitivity and much facility of treatment: it enchants to him to contact with them and to please to them. Another fundamental point of our future projects will be the union enters sport and education, integral education.

--Logically, Rafa will be the image of its foundation, but you what you try are to both separate worlds, the one of the competition and the one of his project of aid to the childhood.
--A thing is the sport race of Rafa and other, very different, although parallel, the projects that can start up, sponsor or supervise their foundation. Evidently, it is fundamental the aid and the support of Rafa for everything what we start up. We want that our foundation develops to the same capacities of seriousness and dedication of Rafa. And, since it has been demonstrated throughout its life, also we want to have the feet in the ground and to go little by little.

--What conclusions have drawn after more from a year from preparations?
--The fundamental thing for us is that, which we do, we want to do it well. We want to be transparent in our activities and that those that supports to us economically know where and how its money is reversed. We want to supervise what we start up. That yes, we are modest: we finish beginning, we want to grow but we are not in a hurry and, by all means, we know that there are to take ours first accompanied steps. There has been foundations and NGO that have remained in the way to take great projects that, later, have not fructified. Nothing else far from our intention that to defraud to that they trust us. We do not want to create false expectations. *notworthy*

--For that reason its first project, a school of tennis in India, counts on the collaboration of the Foundation Vicente Ferrer.
--The truth is that we are enchanted with the idea and we have already put the first stone of that illusory project. D&#233;jeme that says to him, before nothing, that we are very contentments of which Mr. Ferrer has left the hospital of Vellore and has begun to recover in house. For us he was definitive to know his Moncho son and the people in charge of his institution, because its collaboration is vital to make reality our idea. In September, we will begin to construct the tennis school and hopefully! in the future we pruned to turn it, even, in residence.

--The idea, to conquer the children, to attract them towards the school, concentrates more in educating them, forming them, preparing them to leave ahead in the life, that in discovering new talents for tennis, truth?
--Exactly. We want that the school is an instrument of integral education, as much at familiar level as personal, particular. We know of many needs that has the children in many corners of the planet, not only in India, not only in locality of Anantapur, that is where we will install our school, but we tried to put our sand granite and, mainly, to attract the children to the school through sport and thus to facilitate its education, because all we know that it is much more easy to arrive at them through game, of the diversion.

--How have received the people of Anantapur the rewarding idea?
--Vicente Ferrer is doing there a work spectacular. In spite of the precarious conditions in which people live, schooling is elevated there. The children are enchanted with any idea that supposes to them to play and to form. We want to give an opportunity them at the life, not in tennis. The sport is one of the best schools of life. And the objective is to form like people, who think to them about them like children, not like manpower. With the image of Rafa f&#225;- is much more cil to demonstrate that the sport, accepts more of sport, also serves to transmit values like the education, solidarity, the responsibility and the comradeship.